Remembering Roberts Stadium: Free Chicken!

I remember yelling at Eddie Bird, Larry Bird’s younger brother. I thought he was a jerk. But then again, I was a youngster in my early teens. You’re supposed to think the opponent’s a jerk – right?

I didn’t like him for one reason and one reason only: He did whatever he could to try to keep me from getting some free chicken.

I doubt they still do this, but there was a promotion with Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken at that time. If the Aces held their opponent to under 50 points (I think it was 50. I guess it could’ve been 50), every ticket holder to that game won a free chicken dinner.

As the clock ticked down, the Aces had held the Sycamores to just a few points less than 50 (or 40). We started to get excited that 1) the Aces were winning big, and 2) we were on our way to free chicken! But Eddie wanted none of that. Every time down the floor, he forced a shot. We could hear that chicken dinner calling our names, so we’d boo (good thing Mr. Wilhelm wasn’t there) him every time he even looked like he was going to shoot (which I think was a lot).

In the end, though, we went away happy. The Aces won. And they kept their opponent under 50 (or 40). Kevin and I went and retrieved our prize the next day. Victory never tasted so good.

Howdy. I'm Matt Todd. My wife and I have four kids and a dog,. I'm passionate about orphan care. I'm a die-hard fan of the Evansville Aces, the Indiana Hoosiers, and Star Wars. I'm trying to live life by the Todd family motto: "It behooves us to live!"